Jairam Ramesh Outlines Significant Shortcomings In BJP Government’s Agricultural Policies

Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh outlined significant shortcomings in the BJP government’s agricultural policies, labeling them as “highly detrimental” and “evident.” He criticized the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, calling it incompetent and malicious.

In a post on ‘X’, Ramesh described the Goods and Services Tax (GST) as burdensome, particularly for farmers, as it raises the prices of agricultural inputs like tractors and fertilizers. He highlighted the anti-farmer nature of GST, citing increased tax rates on tractors (12%), tractor tyres (18%), spare parts (28%), and fertilizers (5% with additional GST on inputs like ammonia at 18%).

 Ramesh also criticized the government for allowing cheap imports, making it challenging for farmers to export agricultural products. He pointed out that this situation not only deprives farmers of fair market prices but also disrupts their crop planning due to unpredictable export bans.

Furthermore, Ramesh mentioned the surrender of over Rs 1 lakh crore allocated to the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare due to non-utilization. He challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s promise to double farmers’ income by 2022, noting the insufficient growth in real farm income according to NSSO SAS reports.

The Congress leader criticized the BJP government for inadequate increases in Minimum Support Price (MSP) and failure to implement the Swaminathan Commission Report. He compared the UPA’s MSP increases in wheat and paddy to the Modi government’s lower increases in the same crops.

Ramesh also highlighted issues such as the failure of crop diversification, rising farmer indebtedness, farmer suicides, and the country’s heavy dependence on imported edible oils despite slow growth in oilseed production.

Lastly, Ramesh mentioned the Congress party’s promises, including legal guarantees of MSP at Swaminathan formula, a Loan waiver Commission for farmers, prompt insurance payments for crop losses, a stable import-export policy benefiting farmers, and exemption of GST on farming inputs.